1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image reading apparatus, an image processing system, an image reading method, and an image processing method. More particularly, the present invention relates to an image reading apparatus, an image processing system, an image reading method, and an image processing method in which images recorded on a photographic photosensitive material are read.
2. Description of the Related Art
In some conventional laboratory systems in which images recorded on a photographic photosensitive material (hereinafter referred to merely as a photographic film) such as a photographic film are processed, first, preliminary reading (hereinafter referred to as pre-scan) in which an image is read at a relatively high speed and with low precision is carried out. Based on image data obtained by the pre-scan, photometric conditions for a main scan (hereinafter referred to as fine scan), in which an image is read at a relatively low speed and with high precision, and processing conditions of image processings for image data to be obtained by the fine scan are determined. Further, fine scan is performed based on the determined photometric conditions, and image processings are carried out, based on the determined processing conditions, on the image data obtained by the fine scan.
In some image reading apparatuses used for reading images recorded on a photographic film in this type of laboratory system, two photometric systems each having a CCD sensor for reading an image are provided for the purpose of achieving high speed image reading processing. By performing pre-scan and fine scan using these different photometric systems, pre-scan and fine scan are performed concurrently.
However, the above-described image reading apparatus having two photometric systems has a drawback in that, when pre-scan and fine scan are performed at different processing speeds, the processing speed of the one scan performed at the higher speed needs to be made to correspond to the processing speed of the other scan performed at the lower speed, thereby causing the overall image-reading speed to be low. This drawback will be described below more concretely.
Namely, as described above, since pre-scan is generally performed to read images at a relatively high speed and with low precision, the speed at which an image is read by the pre-scan is higher than that of the fine scan in which an image is read at a relatively low speed and with high precision.
On the other hand, in a case in which, after pre-scan, photometric conditions, for the fine scanning on the basis of the data obtained by pre-scan, and processing conditions, of the image processings on the image data obtained by fine scanning, are determined, time for determining the conditions is required. In this case, the processing time for pre-scan is the sum of the image reading time and the time required for the aforementioned determination. When the processing time for pre-scan is different from that for fine scan, the processing time for the scan performed at the faster speed needs to be made to correspond to the processing time for the scan performed at the lower speed, thereby causing the overall image-reading speed to be low.